My jaw almost hit the floor when I read this piece by BC’s best investigative reporter Bob Mackin:
RCMP officers’ mess hopes to serve beer Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to midnight and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. (see here)
Just what we need here in BC – more drunk driving RCMP members.
Regardless of the optics and potential for more drunk driving RCMP officers, who is the clueless RCMP official who thought having an in-house bar was what tax dollars should be spent on?
And, where the Heck is Minister of Safety Vic Toews on this?
Update: The capacity for this bar license would be for 1200 people (see here)
June 20, 2012 at 12:32 PM
He is trying to set up monitoring of private conversations at airports, a mini bill c 30
June 20, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Not unlike bars found in messes in all Canadian Forces bases and armouries across Canada…which are funded with mess dues paid by members.
As long as no one is imbibing while on duty, or driving home afterwards, and it is run with non-public funds, (as is the case with military messes) I see no problem with it.
June 20, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Pure drivel. Military messes are on bases in which members live and in no way compares to a RCMP bar in a HQ.
June 20, 2012 at 1:55 PM
It’s not a good idea to call something “drivel” when you don’t have first hand knowledge. I do.
Many messes are in armouries, which are far away from any base. At the unit my old unit parades at, there are three such messes, each with its own bar in one armoury (Junior Ranks, Sergeants/Sr. NCO’s, and Officers). This is very common. No one lives in armouries either. It works quite well. No one drinks while on duty, rides are arranged for those who have over-indulged (been there, done that!), and it was all supported by non-public funds (i.e. dues paying members).
The RCMP has a regimental structure much like the regiments of the Canadian Army. Central to regimental social life is the mess.
I’m sure NDHQ has at least three messes, with bars, but I could stand to be corrected since I never had the misfortune of working there.
There are many things to criticise about the RCMP and this new building. That it has a mess with a bar is a non-issue, IMHO.
June 20, 2012 at 2:04 PM
I have first hand knowledge as I’ve drank on them
June 20, 2012 at 7:28 PM
What is the difference between messes at armouries or bases? Lots of soliders are not in barracks on base.
June 21, 2012 at 5:41 AM
None, in my opinion. As I see no difference between a mess at a military facility, or a mess at RCMP HQ, as long as rules are followed and there is no abuse of privileges.
June 20, 2012 at 8:54 PM
Meanwhile, in small towns throughout Canada RCMP members are unofficially not allowed to drink in the town they serve in. A perfectly sensible unofficial rule or tradition if you will but I guess the HQ boys are exempt. Live it up boys while the guys out on the street suffer because of your mismanagement.
June 21, 2012 at 5:44 AM
Smaller rural detachments would not have the membership to support their own mess. Larger detachments and HQ’s would.
June 22, 2012 at 2:24 PM
RCMP members’ messes are absolutely appropriate. 1200 is the number for ceremonies and dinners. This is just another “slam the RCMP” story. As a conservative-type I value tradition and the mess is one tradition I enjoyed in the army and one I support for the RCMP.
June 22, 2012 at 3:10 PM
“it’s about time our troubled national police force changed some of its traditions.”
http://www.cknw.com/Blog/TWT_Editorial/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10397590